Swimtastic Weekend Part 1- NSSS Summer Sprint

 

 Open water racing is unlike any other type of swimming. Swimmers and race directors have very little control over anything, including the distance of the event. Sure, the race director tries to control the distance with buoys and lifeguards, but no one swims the exact same length race. It's impossible, the ocean is too big and the margin of error too wide. Even if I were to track right behind someone else, drafting and just missing their feet, eventually one of us would be swept to the side by a random current, a cresting wave. When I first started doing open water events, this was the hardest adjustment for me, coming from the uber-controlled swim meet environment. Now it is one of my favorite parts of racing. The Grey compares it to trail running vs road running. Yeah, you're faster on the road, but the trails are more fun. They also require a higher level of technical skill. 

And there's a chance you end up stuck on a rock.

I haven't been riding the bike nearly enough since the 70.3 so I decided that Super Awesome Wife would meet me down at the finish in the car and I would ride. That way I would be able to choose to ride home on the bike or in the car. It was fun to be able to ride to an event, the late-for-Hawaii start times of the North Shore Swim Series are great in that respect. Actually, in all respects. My back of knee pain was low level with occasional spikes for the ride, but nothing awful. And I wasn't worried about ruining my swim by burning energy with the ride because it's only about 15 miles from where we are staying to the swim, and a part of that is down Pineapple Hill. So if that wears me out then I've lost way more fitness that I thought. Especially because this was only a mile swim, which  shouldn't be hard. But it didn't because I'm Dirtbag Tough. Booyah and whatnot. It also poured for the last four miles. That sucks. 

I'd missed early registration so had to check in at the race, which made my comfortable time bubble pop, but I wasn't in any danger of missing the start. Even got to get in and warm-up. Warming up, by the way, just as the race director was calling everyone into the beach for the pre-race briefing. Whoops! Lemme guess, he said, "Swim thatta way. Obey the lifeguards. Turn at the buoy." Right? Right.

Gotta get the cap ready

Dirtbag Action Figure- Series 2

 For some reason, which I won't complain about, they started us in a men's wave and then five minutes later a women's wave. I don't know why, but I'm not going to ask because that makes the starting area so much more open. A more open starting area means a lower chance of getting kicked in the Dirtbag Handsomeness, which I'm all for. So all the men swam out to between two buoys and tread, waiting for the go. No countdown. One second you pop your head up to check position relative to the beach, buoys, and other swimmers and thenAIRHORN! "Oh, we're off then!"

We had a cheering section for the off

Like I said, this was a very wide open start. It might have been the first time I didn't worry at all about the washing machine. Instead I was trying to get a little more outside the break. The race went from two famous surf sports, Pipeline and Sunset Beach. Famous for their good break. Great for surfing, kind of not so much for the swimming. There was a lot of lateral movement, and plenty of up-the-wave-down-the-wave. Fun. Weeee!

I like going this direction, south down the coast, because the current works with you. I'm sure we were all getting really good pushes. I stayed fairly shallow the whole time, and the water here is so nice that you get a good view of the bottom while you're swimming. This means that when you catch a good current the sea floor goes wooosh by you. Please not that in a few swims, probably the Chun's to Waimea, I'll be complaining about looking at the exact same spot on the bottom for hours because we fight the current in that direction. 

I didn't rally pace this, nor did I waste much time looking around. There were four buoys. Two marking the start, two marking the finish turn. Nothing to look for. Breath to the left, keep the beach as far away as you feel comfortable, and go for it. Nothing else to it. And look for feet to draft off. 

Once, coming to the end, I got hit by a wave that broke a second before it got to me, which didn't tumble me but did surround me with white water for a few second. So I drift in streamline, enjoy the feeling, and wait to break the surface to I can get back at it. 

Waves were pounding at the finish, right on to the beach. I wanted to sprint past the guy right in front of me, but when I tried I also caught a wave and got dropped right onto his foot, so he inadvertently kicked me in the stomach. Well, let's be honest, in the rock hard Dirtbag abs. Grrrrr. Needless to say, I didn't get by him.

The next wave, which I tried to bodysurf in, crashed earlier and steeper than I wanted. Which meant instead of a smooth transfer from swimming to running up the beach I went up and then faceplant into the sand, getting dragged a few feet up the beach. Weeeee? I'm not saying it hurt, but it certainly wasn't a fast finish. 

I sprinted to the line, but fell just behind a group I couldn't catch. Damn.

RUN!!!

My official finishing time was 25:46.7, which put my in ninth for my age group. Not to complain, but I was only 25 seconds off fifth place. Which makes me happy. The dudes who won the whole thing did it in 17 minutes. Wow! Yes, dudes, because there was a sprint to the finish for first.

No, I didn't ride home. It was raining and Super Awesome Wife wanted to stop at Waialua Bakery for cookies. Who am I to argue?

Much thanks to Background Profiles, without whom I probably wouldn't have registered for this event so late. They rock. 

Stay tuned for Swimtastic Weekend Part 2- Aloha State Games

North Shore Swim Series: North Shore Challenge Race Report

Distance- 2.3mi
Time- 1:19:14

According to nearly everyone I've talked to, heard from, and Facebook-stalked, the fourth and final event of the North Shore Swim Series, the North Shore Challenge, was somewhere between an utter disaster and really annoying.
But, you know when you and a bunch of your friends complain about something incessantly, (i.e. the food sucks, the waiter sucks, the movie sucks, she didn't look like a dude, she didn't look like a cop, whatever) there is always one guy, one jerk, who looks at the group and says something along the lines of, "What? I didn't think it was that bad at all."
I'm about to be that guy. I don't want to be. I don't want to sound like an asshole. But I can't help it. I really didn't think the course, the swim, the current, or the pre-race advice was all that bad.
I want to add a disclaimer here: I've never done this swim before. I have nothing to compare this particular course to. I've never even swum this distance before at my current fitness level, so I can't with much certainty say what my time should have been. I guess a lot of people got pulled or got out. Not once did I feel remotely like that needed to happen to me. I do feel bad for everyone who didn't finish for one reason or another. I can only imagine how bad it must suck to have a lifeguard come tell you that it's time to get out because you've had enough.
On to my report, which is not all sunshine and rainbows, contrary to what my extended introduction might suggest.

WE HAVE SNACKS!

We arrive at Waimea Bay nice and early so that Super Awesome Wife could set up her Spousal Support Group Tent-brella. It was a brainstorm she had at the last swim and, though not many people stopped by, I think it has promise. I think the sign needs to say, "WE HAVE SNACKS." People will come, Ray, people will come.
Of course, after getting there early I managed to catch the very last bus shuttling swimmers to the start. Why? Because I got distracted talking to the parent of one of my students, there because her older daughter is swimming and she volunteers the snack tent. Love parents like that. Way to be involved! *teacher cheer* But I'm not sweating being on the last bus, the race director is too, and they can't start without him. Our fates are tied. On the bus ride over we noticed the swell was much more western than he expected. This was going to change things. It would mean there would be an unexpected current and he was going to have to advise as best he could.
Once we reached the beach the pre-race meeting went off right away, with the race director telling us to stay more to the outside of the buoys and away from the shore. He and the lifeguards thought that would keep us from the bigger swells and from getting dragged around too much. Worked for me. Not so much for others.

Just keep swimming...

The swim out to the water start was much easier than last time (see: reef, ouch), and I made for the far buoy to try and get a good position right off the bat. I did hear the start this time and was off in good form. In fact, unlike Chun's, I swam in a group for nearly the entire race. This was both good and bad. Good because it let me keep an eye on my competition, follow people, and feel like I was racing rather than just our for a swim. Bad because, well, people piss me off sometimes. We had the entire ocean to swim in. All of it. And I understand the start of things like this get crowded and that's fine. I understand the waves throw off your line and that's fine too. But stop cutting me off and running into me. You have open water three feet to your right, go over there. I'm swimming here. (I promise, only one more grumpy thing about other swimmers.)
The best part of being right in the thick of everything was being able to find friends swimming about my speed and hang with them. I spent a lot of the race thinking, "Ok, where did Guy In Black Zoomers go? And what about Guy In Full Body Tri Suit? Did I lose him?" And then swimming with them. About that, listen to me, Guy In Full Body Suit, you don't need to buy those things for swimming. There is not way the only trunks you own are BlueSeventy Swimskins. I understand you bought them for swim racing, but Guy In Sports Authority Speedo-Brand Zoomers (you're truly), just passed your expensive ass. Spend more time in the pool, then go buy that stuff. (And yes, I would totally wear one of those suits if I owned one. I would immediately become a hypocrite. I'd feel all special and fishy!) And thinking like that helps. I swim a little angry, it helps keep the blood pumping and keeps me competitive. Wait and see how it helps me finish strong.
I knew my training was working and I was getting stronger because my mindset was so much better this time around. I wanted to get some, I wanted to mix it up, and I wanted to catch some people. This is called A Glimpse Inside The Head of The Tattooed Wake: "I see feet. I will catch those feet. If I can see you, I can reel you in. Given a long enough course I will pass you." That is the mind of a competitor. And when I'm in and my body is working as well as it was Saturday, that's all true in my head. I will pull you in and push you by. It's gonna happen.
Also in the head of a competitor, though, is a shorter fuse than normal. As in, "If you don't get the hell off my feet right now I will kick you in the head!" Some dummy spent at least a thousand yards drafting off me. Which I don't mind in and of itself. That's part of this kind of race and I'd do it to him. But he touched my feet every other stroke for a thousand yards. I want you to imagine how annoying, how aggravating, how maddening this can get. Feeling fingers brushing your feet, toes, and ankles constantly. I never stopped, but god how I wanted to. Smack him in the head and tell him to pass or back off. I tried accelerating and cutting by other swimmers to shed my shadow, kicking extra hard, and finally went for it and turned the intensity way up for about a minute to get separation, which worked. Grumble grumble douchebag grumble.
I should note that through I didn't see too much wildlife during my time on the course we did pass the aptly named Shark's Cove. Not a clever name. But a cool one. One which appeals to your favorite Dirtbag.

See?

Ouchie

And after one hour and eighteen minutes I was nearly done. The last twenty or so had been the hardest. For a while there it was me and one other guy with no other swimmers in sight, very different that the rest of the race. I settled into a, "Gee, hope this guy knows where he's going," mindset, ignoring the thought that he probably was thinking the same thing about me. At some point I could see the top of the church which marked the turn-in point and was swimming hard at it. Distanced are deceiving at the water line so it felt longer than it was and look shorter than it was to get to the finish. I was hurting by the end but the whole swim my body had been working like I expected it to. I'd had strong, steady strokes, no major muscle issues, and only one problem. Chafing. I know, right? But for the last twenty or thirty minutes I'd developed what felt like a rash at my left armpit which burned every stroke. Not sure if it was the rubbing of skin on skin plus the salt acting as a irritant or if I managed to swim into something that stung me, but it kind of hurt. I was ready to be done. I wanted to finish. And I was pushing hard for it.

Can you see my little orange head?

Then I saw her. There, to my right, just off my hip. A Stanford cap! No way in hell am I letting some tart from Stanford beat me! Not now. She put up a good fight but the day was mine. Psh, Sanford. Whatever. 
And if you're looking for inspirational stories about people not named Dirtbag, check this out: The lady in a wheelchair finished this race too. Very cool to see her and her friend swim in, wave for the special beach chair, and get pulled across the line.

Go! Mush! Mush!

All in all a nice day our for me. Again, I'm sorry so many people didn't enjoy their swim and there was so much struggling. If I could change anything about the course I would ask for more marker buoys. I know there were three on th course, but I only saw one. Two more might have helped. I am curious to know what my time would have been had conditions been ideal. I'm looking to drop a few minutes next month at the Waikiki RoughWater. We'll see how that goes.
As always, much thanks to Background Profiles for helping make this possible for me. And thanks to Super Awesome Wife for her support.
Get some, go again.

Chun's Reef to Waimea Photos

Photos are up from this weekend's swim. Follow this link to 808Fotos. Your favorite Dirtbag is on page 13, picture number 258 and 259. I would copy them but the website is smarter than I am*. I'd suggest flipping through a few of the page just to get an idea of how pretty where I get to swim is.

*However, Sister Dirtbag, Official Trainer and Computer Nerd of Team Dirtbag, is smarter than the website. So here, for your viewing pleasure, are the two official race photos.

For this, I've doubled this month's salary from nothing to whatever double nothing is. Team Dirtbag takes care of its own.

North Shore Swim Series: Chun's Reef To Waimea Race Report

Distance- 1.6mi (map here)
Time- 47:46

Cap-wearing simulation

I should be disappointed by this time. Just over a month ago, in what felt like much more difficult conditions, I managed a 41:06 over the same distance. The difference though, and the reason I'm not all that disappointed, is I'm out of shape. I've been in the water, not counting yesterday, three times since my last race, the dopely-swum Firecracker Triathlon. This does not a good time make.

I tried to think about this race as merely a prep swim for the longer North Shore Challenge, a 2.3 mile swim in the other direction down the coastline in two weeks. I mention the direction because I think that will have an impact on my time. I'm all about swimming by feel, but I don't have a lot of feel right now. I heard many of the swimmers talking about the Chun's race as having plenty of current against us. I didn't notice too much except for one part, but I think that has less to do with me being a He-Fish and more to do with my touch not being where it should be. But, since the North Shore Challenge flows in the other direction, maybe the currents will be kinder. On to the race report!

"Stretching" aka "I will not smack the girl behind me"

The race organizers collected, body marked, and chipped swimmers at Waimea Bay, put us on buses, and ferried us the 1.6mi down the road to the beach we were starting from. It was that or let 600 people wander down narrow North Shore roads. My bus was so crowded I stood in the aisle. Don't try this during a field trip, kids! Once at Chun's we milled around, meeting other swimmers and talking, fidgiting, and waving our arms around (what swimmers call "stretching", but its flailing, see 1:16 in this link for proof). I ran into an older couple I met at the Firecracker Tri who embody the "We Only Do This For Fun" philosophy to the hilt. They are a relay team who calls themselves Team Bloody Mary. Only the husband was doing today's race; the wife runs, and their neighbor rides. And they have been known to greet their transitioning teammates while smelling of, you guessed it, Bloody Marys. Really nice, funny people. (The husband was bummed when he looked at the results post race, "Aww, someone in my age group finished after me! I try to finish last so no one feels bad.")
After brief announcements, "Be nice, don't kick each other, if you feel lost sight on the church tower, watch out for Dirtbag, he's super-fast and good-looking*," we were sent out to the start. This is not as easy as it sounds.
Check out the name of the starting point again. Chun's Reef. Now imagine 600 swimmers gingerly picking their way across a shallow, pointy, underwater playground of ouch and damnit. It was a water start, we had to get out between the buoys and tread water until everyone was ready. So I took my time skulling over the reef. No reason to hurry like some of the Type-A's out there and have to tread for ten minutes. Do-de-doo. Finally everyone was out and ready.

See me?

I never heard to start. Again. But I don't think anyone did. Suddenly the front line was horizontal and splashing instead of vertical and talking. So we followed suit. Ummmm, READYGO!
There are worse places to do an open water swim than Hawaii. Like nearly everywhere on the planet. The water is clean and clear and warm, the reefs are pretty, there are fishes aplenty, and when you pop your head up to sight, its still great to look at. I set a strong-but-sustainable pace and got to work. An open water swim, even one of this size, spreads the field out quickly. Some people go closer to the shore, some go further out, some are fast, some are slow. It is possible feel very alone for a while if you don't take the time to look around. This brings us to a new feature of Dirtbag Fitness-
Things You Think While Open Water Racing:
- "Oh! Fishes!"
- The same line to one song over and over and over and over
- "Is that an old anchor down there?"
- "Where is everyone?"
- "Seriously, am I somehow lost? Am I headed to Molokai?"
- "More fishes!"
- "I wish I could get this song out of my head."
- "ROCK! Must swim around. Where the hell did that come from?"
- "I should be thinking about swimming this race and not about how my blog will read when I write it."
- "You know, I think I've only seen one of the three guiding buoys so far. Am I lost, or just oblivious?" (Answer- Oblivious and way to the right of two of them.)
- "Hey! Swim caps. I'll just catch that group then." (that was my swim ego)

Dog + SUP= bored wife photo-op

Eventually the crowd bunched back up as we swam between two rocks signifying the entry to the bay. For a few hundred yards before that I had been having a race in my own head with some guy in a white swim cap who ended up near me. We both got yelled at by a lifeguard going in to the rock area because we were too far shoreward and would have made rockfall in moments. Back out to the sea! I think he eventually pulled ahead of me, but it was nice to have a friend to race with for a while. Thanks you Mystery Asian Guy.

Up and across the line!

Then I joined another group, slipping into a draft position right off two pairs of feet for the final push towards the two buoys marking the water exit. Drafting helped a lot. I tried a few time to really go for it and race the final 500 yards, but it wasn't happening for as long as I wanted it to. I could push for a few minutes, but then have to dial it back down. Being out of shape will do that. So my new goal was to beat the two pairs of feet in front of me out of the water. We had a little race, and I did win right at the end. I'm not sure if the other two swimmers knew we were racing, but I beat them anyway. Nah nah nah! And across the line! Where a small child for some reason handed me a chocolate. Some races give finisher medals, this race said, "You know what a swimmer wants after 47 minutes? Dark chocolate!" Probably a good motivator. And I got a nice t-shirt and fancy red cap.
So my final time was over six minutes slower than the last time I did this distance, but I'm ok with that. I set out to make it a training race, a workout, and that's what it was. I came in fourteenth in my age group and would have only placed in the top three of Men 25-29 if I could have shaved time off my PR. Meh, I'm ok. Looking forward to the next swim. Much thanks to Background Profiles for their support. Speaking of support, Super Awesome Wife has decided to take a sign to th next race reading, "Spousal Support Team, brought to you by Dirtbag Fitness. We have snacks. Sponsored by Background Profiles." She'll have a cooler with drinks and snacks and welcomes all non-participants waiting a the finish.
Oh yeah, after I finished and was waiting for the rest of the swimmers, Super Awesome Wife and I watched some spinner dolphins playing a few hundred yards off shore. Which means now you get gratuitous pictures of dolphins!

*I made one of those up, can you tell which one?

Registration Frenzy!!!

After a brief stint on the mainland (not working out), Dirtbag Fitness is back on the island and gearing up for our (my) second year of competition.
First, I'm taking on the third and fourth races in the North Shore Swim Series (NSSS). I would have liked to do all four races but the first went off the day we left for the mainland and the second happened while we were gone. Which means, no complete series for me. Too bad, I think I could have done well. Well, my swim ego, The Tattooed Wake, thinks I could have done well. (What? You don't have an event-specific nickname for your nickname?)
Which means in nine days I'll be taking on the 1.6 mile Chun's to Waimea swim. To clarify, I haven't worked out in any significant manner at all since my Firecracker Sprint on June 26th. This is an example of what is called Possibly Misplaced Faith in My Ability to Retain Endurance Swimming Fitness (PMFMARESF...the name may need work). I know I can swim 1.6 miles right now. I am fit enough for that. My stroke is strong and smooth and can get me through. How fast I can finish, that's a different story. There will be modified goal setting going on.
The second event I'm signed up for is NSSS race four, the North Shore Challenge. This 2.3 miles swim is sure to hurt, even if I was completely prepared, which I probably won't be, even by August 13th. I'll be in better shape than I will be for Chun's, but who knows how much better. I'll be prepared, I'll make it hurt, I'll succeed in enhancing my suffering threshold for maximum speed. Get some, go again.
The third event I'm in for is one I'm most excited about. It is the Ko'Olina Sprint Triathlon. If that sounds familiar that means you are one of the few, the proud, the followers who have been with Dirtbag Fitness since the beginning. This was my very first race and the reason I continue to spend money I should be saving doing things early Sunday's most people think is silly. It will be very cool to compare that time to this on and see just how far I've come. I think the bike is the same distance, though I'm not sure. Looking back at my race report I didn't record distances. This year's is reported to be 26k, which will make it one of my longer bike portions. Good thing I'm Dirtbag Fit. Also, I plan on doing a century in September, so 16 miles should be even more of a spin around the block than it is now.
So Dirtbag Fitness hits the ground running for the new school year. Huh, nine days to race time. I need to get in the pool!